


The Immune

by starsinger



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-03
Updated: 2013-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-28 06:52:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/989033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsinger/pseuds/starsinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shane and Andrea find the impossible. Don't own the Walking Dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

They dove for the car. Coming into town to look for Sophia was insane. They were desperate to find the little girl, all they found were Walkers. They barely got the car doors closed before the horde started to beat on the windows.

Shane fumbled for the keys, trying to get them into the ignition and get the car started. His heart was beating rapidly. He was so intent on what he was trying to do before Andrea's voice penetrated his brain, "Shane, look, please tell me I'm not crazy."

Shane glanced up and there, in the middle of the surging crowd of Walkers, a woman stood, simply watching them. Apparently, very much alive, and being ignored by the Walkers. They locked gazes before the woman turned and put what looked like ear buds in her ears and jogged off and away from them. He didn't miss the scar on her upper right arm. It was the same size and shape as that of a human bite.

"That's impossible," Shane muttered as they plowed through the group of Walkers surrounding the car.

"…impossible!" Darryl muttered as Shane and Andrea told their news. "No one survives the fever."

"Is it?" Lori asked, she looked at Hershel. The old vet looked weary, "Aren't there survivors in plagues?"

"She could, theoretically, have survived. Usually, there are survivors and those who are immune. I don't suppose you stopped to ask."

Both Shane and Andrea shook their heads. Rick looked up, "Unless you have a way of finding her, we may never know."

The strange woman sat atop a nearby wall, listening to the moans of the hungry Walkers nearby. She wasn't afraid of them, after they stopped attacking her, anyway. It was time to get back to the woods. They were waiting for her report, and they needed to know there were survivors outside his control. Maybe she could get to them before he did, or they did. She hopped off the wall, started her jeep, and took off down a dirt road.


	2. Surviving the Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Alicia and Stephanie. Both bitten, both still alive and not sick. We get hints of the community that they now live in. Don't own the Walking Dead. Never really thought I'd be writing a fanfic on it.

A horrible, searing pain ripped through my upper my arm as my own mother sank her teeth into my arm. I stared at her horribly disfigured face as my friend came up behind her and stabbed her through the head. What had been my mother toppled over, twitching. My brother had bitten my friend, Stephanie, my name is Alicia. Yes, I say is Alicia. We locked up the house, our wounds burning and our bodies beginning to rebel, and into my room. There were double beds in there, my mother's idea.

I looked at her, "See you on the other side," I whispered. We knew would die, no one survived the bite. We watched our families fall one by one, we didn't even bother to try and dress the wounds. Infection was the least of our problems.

The fever was horrible. I felt my very bones would shake apart. I could hear the moans of the Walkers outside my window. I knew they waited for more of the living, I also knew we would soon join them. I could only hope someone would take a bullet to us before we did too much damage. Hours and days merged together as I felt my body ravaged by the virus. I prayed for death, anything to end the horrible pain.

Then, one day, I awoke, and all I felt was thirst. I crawled out of bed and found Stephanie in the bathroom bolting down water from the sink. I joined her. I had been a hefty 250 pounds at the beginning, I had lost a lot of weight. We looked at each other and I heard her say, "I'm hungry."

We opened the bedroom door and the smell of my mother's and brother's corpses hit us. We dragged them outside where we got the second shock of the day. A walker went right past us, ignoring us completely. They treated us as one their own. I shrugged and continued. We went back into the house and hunted through the canned goods. The electricity had been out for who knows how long and we didn't trust the food in the refrigerator.

We left. We found a little electric car, our neighbor was an eco-freak and travelled to a local grocery store. We filled back packs with canned goods, and tried our best to ignore the stench of rotting meat and decaying vegetables around us. We even grabbed some pitcher filters, knowing we would need them to strain the water after we boiled it. We headed for a gun shop and loaded up with weapons. We also found bow and arrows, swearing to learn how to use them, they made less noise.

We made our way out of town, stopping only to pick up a small, yellow kitten who was being chased by Walkers. The kids were the worst, they never stood a chance from the adults who could reach them. We occasionally drove by walkers, but we never saw the living that first day. We stayed in the car to sleep and fed the kitten from our own stores as we made our way. A prison loomed before us, we avoided it, it looked oppressive. We also picked up another kid who had also survived a bite, but had been harassed by guards there. Their precious Governor ordered the shooting of all who had been bitten. One guard took pity on us and gave us directions to another camp. This one was run by someone only known as "The Lady." She took in anyone. As we approached the location, all we saw were giant trees rising up from behind an equally huge metal wall.


	3. The Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I intend to have this character to be the antithesis of "The Governor". They loathe each other. The Lady has spent years preparing, the Governor, well, he is an opportunist. No, don't own it, darn it.

The gate opened silently in front of them. It approached sundown and we had no idea how close we came to spending the night outside the gates. The sun slipped below the horizon as we stopped just inside the inner fence. My side door opened and a hand appeared to help me out. Stephanie stepped out with the kitten in her hands. Finally, Ricky came out. He was tired and wearily eyed the grim-eyed guards.

"We need to get them to the infirmary," the red haired woman said as she caught sight of the bite wound on my arm. "How long since this happened? Are you past the fever?"

I don't remember what I said. We were hustled from the car and into a building between the inner and outer fences. It was a surprisingly modern clinic setting. A nurse and a doctor came in, took blood and our vital signs and gave us shots. The nurse smiled grimly, "The virus isn't the only thing in the human bite that can kill."

The doctor, named George Sampson, entered with a very striking woman. She was tall, in her early sixties, had salt and pepper hair, and surveyed her surroundings with intense black eyes. This was our introduction to the "Lady". She personally examined our bite wounds before they were dressed. "My name is Helene. You will be escorted from here to quarantine. This is standard for all newcomers, we have to protect our population. You will be there for three days. You can shower, shave, take care of any other personal issues, and rest up before you enter the compound. You will also find a form dictating you wishes if you die. Also, a set of rules are in the kitchen. Yes, you can keep the kitten, follow me."

We followed in her wake. The buildings she led us to were small houses. They contained a small kitchen, a bedroom, and a functioning toilet and shower. There were two doors into the houses, one went outside the walls and into the forest, the other lead into a fence whose gate opened into the compound. "Stay here, and alive for the next three days, and you'll be allowed into the compound. You can, of course, leave at any time. You can also go anywhere between the inner and outer walls. I encourage you to talk to everyone you meet." She left us to settle in.

I showered and changed clothes. Clothes were in the closet, they were big enough to fit just about anyone, and had pull strings to fit smaller frames. It felt good to have the accumulated dirt and grime of at least a week off my body. The clothes appeared to be made of a soft wool and were a generic gray color. I sat down and read the rules. They were pretty straightforward.

1\. Do not kill the living, although self-defense is allowed.

2\. Kill Walkers if you must, you will be trained to use cross-bows and bow and arrows as they are quiet and will not attract more Walkers. We will also train you to use guns.

3\. Everyone is expected to contribute. If you do not, you will be encouraged to leave.

Well, it was short and generic. I was determined to do what I could to help. A soft mewing behind me drew my attention to the hungry kitten behind me, and my own stomach rumbled at me as well. I rummaged through the pantry and found tuna. I mixed it with some fresh milk in the refrigerator and mixed the two together, setting it down for him and he snapped it up hungrily. It seemed strange, this place had electricity. Someone had prepared very well. How could anyone prepare for this?

Stephanie was out in the back when I came out. Ricky joined us shortly. A fence separated us, but we sat on the grass and talked. Ricky shared his own story. He had been in New York when the epidemic began. He headed south to his family when it became bad. His family had turned and his grandmother had bitten him. I placed my hand on the fence separating us from the compound. Large, tree like structures rose from the ground. I could see recessed doors leading into the nearest structure.

"I was studying architecture at NYU," Ricky said. "I'd say that's made of metal and concrete. Lock that door and everyone would be secure against whatever was outside." In the distance, we could see herds of cattle, sheep, and goats being driven in by dogs a man trailed behind them, an occasional whistle pierced the air as they herded the animals into what was probably a barn. The night deepened as people entered the structures and shut the doors behind them. I went back into the house and pulled out a book I had brought with me and started to read. This would be a long three days.

The third day we all waited anxiously at the gates, we were definitely ready to go in. I was getting cabin fever. Helene herself opened the gates. We went over to the tree on the far right, "The fence encloses the living compound. We have several fields enclosed by other fences for food that we grow, as well as cotton and the herds. I bought this land and started building all of this about twenty years ago in response to a vision I had. Those who are immune will have definite duties that different from those who've never been bitten. You'll be on horses guarding those who work outside the walls. You'll be going into towns to gather supplies we can't make here. Our goal is to be self-sufficient in another twenty years. Do you have any questions?"

"Are you using solar panels for the electricity?" Stephanie asked. We ascended a ramp and emerged into a medium round room. Children sat in front of a woman who held up a book and was reading from it.

"Yes, and will for as long as they last and we can make replacement parts. This is the family tree. Children and people willing to care for them live here." We moved into a doorway that led into a corridor that connected the trees. "These doors can be barred, cutting off each tree if something happens. We also have tunnels underground leading outside the compound. We make daily sweeps of them, occasionally a Walker will find their way down there. I heard that you've encountered the Governor."

Ricky made a rude noise, "They beat me up because I was bitten."

Helene nodded, "This is where single men stay." Several more rooms led off the main room, pallets were stacked against the wall. "We're expanding slowly, survivors are hard to come by," a tall man with lanky brown hair emerged from one of the doors, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Adam," the man wandered over, "this is Ricky." Adam nodded to Ricky and ushered him through yet another door. We continued through yet another door and yet another corridor.

The next tree had an obvious feminine touch. Next to the stacked pallets were embroidered pillows and blankets. Someone had made a braided rug. Helene showed us the bathing facilities. We put our stuff down in another room for just that. She opened a trap door and we went down and found ourselves descending into the tunnels. We followed her through and found words written at every turn and fork. "These will tell you where you're going. CF left means cattle fields, left, B right means barns. We have a similar system for the infirmary, each of the trees and fields, etc." We emerged from a tunnel that had been marked SR right. There we found people learning to use various forms of firearms and learning other forms of self-defense. "I will leave you here. Since you are immune, we're starting you here so you can make your first forays into town. We do need certain supplies until we can make them ourselves." With that, she left us to the mercies of the first day.


	4. Exploration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm changing Jim's probable fate. I believe I can, they left him before he actually died. And, while I'm not changing everyone's fate Sophia will also survive. Don't own them.

After weeks of gun training and learning how to read a map, I drove into my first town. I parked outside a drug store. The mission was simple, pick up simple first aid supplies and aspirin. Then head for the local herb store and see what they had in stock. Often small herb stores had simple recipes included in their stocks to help certain issues, infections, discomforts, and other issues that could be corrected with help from Mother Nature. With drug manufacturing companies out of business, they had to use something a little more reliable.

I walked into the store expecting to hear an echo of the moans I heard outside. Instead, the smell hit me first. I don't know why I was surprised. Then I noticed the bodies on the floor. Someone had gotten there before I had. Four bodies lay on the floor, decapitated. Ricky was supposed to come with me and Stephanie, but they had found a boat load of children on our way in, and Ricky had gone back to the compound to get some help. One little girl was hanging onto another immune named Jim. The bite on his abdomen clearly needed treating. I spotted an open package of aspirin on the floor. Someone had been VERY thorough.

I rummaged through the pharmacy shelves, pulling out hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic creams, and distilled water. I exited the drug store and heaved the now much heavier bag into the jeep. I found the herbal shop that had been plainly marked on my map. The place was completely clear of Walkers. There weren't even signs that any had even been here. I found remedies and recipes inside. There were even pictures of what the original plants looked like and where to find them. I filled another three bags with documents and herbs, hoping that these would help in the days and years to come. I even grabbed a Buddha statue for good measure. His serene countenance helped calm me down as a Walker ran past me. I heard gun shots in the distance.

I followed the Walkers past a low wall and into a neighborhood where two people, a man and a woman, struggled toward another car. The Walkers went around me as I watched them fumble for the keys to the ignition, and then the woman saw me. We locked gazes. She drew the man's attention to me who stared at me for a moment before I turned away. I decided to use my I-pod at that point before I jogged back to the low wall behind me. I climbed on top of the wall and watched as they plowed through the Walkers and drove away. I hopped off the wall and headed back to my jeep. The radio crackled to life as I heard Stephanie's voice, "Alicia, are you there? We're heading in."

"I hear you, Steph, put a hold on coming back, I managed to get what we were sent for, and I have some news."

When she returned the kids had been installed in a section of the infirmary specifically designed for injured or bitten survivors who required more care than could be given in the regular quarantine. She gave over the backpacks to the Doc and then reported to Helene. Silence greeted her report. "They're probably at Hershel's farm. He's pretty harmless, but hostile towards outsiders. He believes Walkers can be cured."

"How do you cure dead?" Stephanie blurted out.

Helene shrugged and told us that Ricky and I would head out to the farm, she had some materials for trade. Hershel met us at the gate, eyeing the guns we carried so casually, "You were spotted."

I nodded as Ricky started unloading the crates of stuff that Helene sent. One of his hands started handing over crates of food and other stuff we apparently needed, "I know. Hershel, you should really come to the compound." He shook his head. Stubborn old man that he was. "We found some kids on the road today, if anybody in this group is missing kids, let them know," I finished as we completed our transaction. He nodded, it was almost as if there was a complete disconnect between his world and the one in which we now lived. We left and passed a hooded figure with two armless Walkers on chains beside it.


	5. Definitions of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunate events have forced a fairly united definition of life and when it begins among the community. This may offend people, not my problem. This chapter includes an event that will have blood and guts. If you've watched the Walking Dead, this really shouldn't bother you. This is a logical, unfortunately, extension of what happened to Dale in that field while trying to fend off the Walker. I liked him. Don't own them.

Lyla, one of the pregnant women, started screaming in the middle of the night. She was seven months pregnant and in extreme pain. The Doctor was summoned quickly and couldn't figure out what was happening as it wasn't contractions. Minutes later, Connie, another pregnant woman started screaming as well. Horrified, the women in the women's quarters and the Doctor watched as the fetuses tore their way out of their mother's wombs and bodies. Bullets were quickly applied to both women and their reanimated fetuses.

Several women who had stronger stomachs were employed to scrub the Women's Quarters as the rest of them moved into the Family Quarters temporarily. Bits of the women's guts and brain matter had sprayed the walls liberally as major arteries had been in shredded. It was fortunate that no children actually lived in the Women's Quarters. Alicia and I spent most of the early morning hours scrubbing walls. Latex gloves were plentiful as no one wanted to touch the blood with bare hands. After they finally finished cleaning they attended the memorial service for the women and their babies before dragging themselves to the Family Quarters to get some much needed sleep. Nightmares invaded my sleep. I now feared having a relationship with a man and getting pregnant. I wasn't surprised when Helene summoned those of us who are immune for another mission into town.

"We can't have this happen again. Ricky, you'll go into the hospital and pick up epidural and natal kits, this is so, if needed, we can go in and take the baby. This won't be used during normal labor and delivery. Stephanie, you need to go into the maternity ward as well, and pick up stethoscopes and fetal heart monitors. This seems the fastest and easiest ways to determine if the mothers are in trouble. If we can catch when a fetus' heartbeat stops, we can terminate the pregnancy before we lose both. Alicia, you have the hardest jobs. We're sending you into Atlanta. Before the Apocalypse, one abortion clinic remained open. I need you to go in and find the equipment for early abortions. After the third trimester starts, the only viable option of fetal removal is with a C-section. I also need all of you to keep out for the 'Morning After' pill and pre-natal vitamins. We don't want to lose any babies, but we don't want a repeat of what happened last night."

I knew why Helene sent me to the clinic. I was pro-choice before my world ended. This is a moot point, we don't need to be aborting living fetuses. Every baby born is a success in today's world, but the mother's lives needed to be taken into consideration here. We were each given an ambulance to drive to our destinations. It took three days to get where I was going. I was given a lot of gas containers containing gasoline so I wouldn't be stranded. Food also went with me as I wouldn't be back for at least a week.

Oh, what I wouldn't give for a GPS unit. I had a map, and fortunately I knew how to read it. I passed many walkers on my way in and paid them no heed. I finally found the clinic, I grabbed my rifle and had to force my way in. Someone had actually locked the doors. Fortunately, George had given me exact descriptions of what I needed to look for. The clinic was relatively clean as if no one had been there in a long time. I found the equipment and managed to push everything into the ambulance when I heard someone screaming for help. I grabbed my gun and crossbows and ran toward the source of the noise. I found two Walkers surrounding a tree where a man had climbed and was screaming, hopelessly. I stood my ground and shot the first Walker in the head. The other Walker turned at the sound and couldn't find the source of the noise, even as another bullet connected with his head.

"Get down!" I shouted at the man. "There'll be more Walkers before long.

"Who…What are you?" he asked.

"Your only hope! Come on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is it Alicia has rescued, someone familiar? Well, we'll find out soon. Please read and review, I beg you!

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an idea that I had. AU? Probably. Little off kilter, most definitely. Lost my mind, don't know, I think it's still here. Please R&R. If nothing else, tell me what you think of this cockamamie idea! lol


End file.
